When Cheryl Byrne thinks of the way her father has been cared for over the past few years she says she feels nothing but shame.

Eric Hollingworth was diagnosed with degenerative brain disease Alzheimer's in August 2003.

Eric has been cared for in hospital for 14 months

Early attempts to care for him at the family home did not work out so she turned to the residential care home sector.

She said the experience of taking her father around to the care homes to see if his needs could be met was like touting him around "like second hand goods".

But Mrs Byrne, a farmer from Todmorden, says she was not satisfied the way he was looked after in either of the two homes in the north west that he lived in.

"I was going in more or less every day to deliver his personal care because I was told he resisted it.

"We were paying these huge sums for his care but I was going in to look after him and many others in the care home were doing the same," she said.

There are no sanctions. If somebody is found wanting in terms of delivery of care - nothing happens Cheryl Byrne

She also felt that he was being inappropriately prescribed anti-psychotic drugs in a bid to keep him in a more manageable state.

She said: "I was left with a choice to leave him in a place where his needs could not be met, to move him - which I did not want to do because I knew it would cause trauma - or leave him on anti-psychotic drugs."

She says that she "would pay any price" to know that her father was well cared for but that these kinds of homes simply cannot cater for someone with her father's complex needs.

Eventually Mr Hollingworth was admitted to hospital where he has remained for the past 14 months because his daughter cannot find a care home that she considers suitable for him.

Mrs Byrne says the situation is something of an unhappy compromise.

'Minimum wage'

Although her father's social and holistic needs are not being met in hospital, she can be sure his medical needs are.

In the meantime she is fighting to get her father's continuing needs paid for by the state.

She feels that one of the main problems is that because of the division of responsibilities between social services and the NHS often no one can be held responsible or accountable.

"There are no sanctions. If somebody is found wanting in terms of delivery of care - nothing happens. They may get a slap on the wrist but that's it."

Mrs Byrne also feels that until nursing home staff are well-rewarded and well regarded the situation in many homes across the country will not improve.

'Unbelievable'

She said: "If you are skilled enough to be doing this kind of work you would not be earning the minimum wage.

"Care workers need the dignity to be brought back into their profession as well."

So does she feel her father has been treated with the dignity and respect that ministers are promising?

"No. I am ashamed of what's happened to my father.

"But I am ashamed for all the people cared for in the care homes I went to.

"It was unbelievable that this was how they were expected to end their days."